"Grillz" by David Leon
Suggested Retail USD$45.00
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 8 Out of 10

"Grillz", a new effect by David Leon, is bogged down with practicality issues, lacks any real rationale in presentation... and is so entertaining that it will be many a performer's guilty pleasure, something they'll do every chance they get and which their audiences will love.

Here's the way the routine goes. First a card is chosen and lost in the deck, only to appear back on top. The card is then signed on the back, the card placed face-up in the face-up deck and shuffled by a spectator while the performer has their back turned to the spectators so as not to see the deck. When the performer turns back around, the signed card is seen to be in the performer's mouth. The card is removed from the mouth, given a shake, and the card has become blank. The performer then smile and the number and suit of the card is seen to be in a set of silver "teeth", captured in bright gemstones.

Okay, I don't care who you are, that's just plain weird. And unexpected. Completely, totally, and utterly unexpected. And that's what saves "Grillz" from being a trick no one in their right mind would perform.

After all, "Grillz" has some hefty strikes against it. The dirty work is done while your back is turned, so you've got to watch that -- no one directly behind you or off to the sides. You can't repeat it with a different outcome, so this is decidedly a one-off routine.

And "Grillz" just doesn't make any sense. There's a theatrical disconnect there and it's a big one. The chosen playing card turns blank so your teeth turn silver? And the value and pip are in stones on them? There is simply no rationale for it. It's a crazy jump at a climax that, by all rights, should fall short.

It doesn't.

"Grillz" plays. I'd have paid twice the amount for it to get half the laughs and a quarter of the cussing. That ending is so bizarre, so strange, it's almost surrealistic. It doesn't make sense, true, but what it does is make for one of the most surprising routines out there and that surprise is where all the entertainment lies.

Being blunt, I was set to hate this one. First, it ain't no "ultimate card to mouth". It's a version of the classic, but pales next to other, purer forms of the effect. Second, those restrictions on when and where I'd be doing this one are painful. But before I relegated it to the junk drawer, I gave it a shot and it shot back, becoming one of those things I pull out when I want to do something so out-of-the-blue, so out-of-character for me, that it's going to succeed just on the weight of the climax. "Grillz" does that, easily and effectively and it's my new favorite toy.

I say "toy" because what you're buying here is the prop. The routine is okay, simple to do and all of that, but it's easily within the grasp of a card amateur to put together. Because of that, it's easy to alter, change around, add-to and remove-from at will for the more experienced. And if you've got the inclination, you can even put a bit more of a sense of reason to things and alter the presentation a bit.

I wouldn't, though. "Grillz" works best with the off-beat, off-kilter, and off-the-wall way the climax just suddenly hits. It's so entertaining that way that even your humble editor shies away from messing with it (and as those that have read me for any length of time can attest, that's saying something).

My recommendation? If you're looking for something different -- way, way, different -- and don't mind the theme or the limitations or the suprise-filled laughter you'll get, "Grillz" is something you need to take a look at.

Personally, this is one I like way more than I would have ever thought I would. It's just too much fun.

"Grillz" by David Leon
In a Blink: 8 Out of 10

Practicality: 5
There are some critical issues weighing this one down, most notably angles (you have to turn your back to the spectators, so you've got to be completely clear from the rear) and the lack of the ability to repeat this one with different results. Still, those are debilitating, just restrictive.

Workmanship: 10
The "grill" looks beautiful. This is one well-made prop that should last a lifetime. It should, do its construction and some thoughtfulness by Leon, fit in just about anyone's mouth.

Documentation: 10
The documentation, supplied as both a DVD and written instructions, is thorough and well done. You'll have no problem learning this one (or changing it around to suit you, courtesy of the tips and ideas given).

Effect: 8
This isn't awe-inspiring stuff here, but, brother, does it play as a solid piece of entertainment. Folks just seem to love this thing, laughing and giggling as the climax hits. If that's what you're after, this one delivers.

Presentation: 9
While the climax makes absolutely no sense in any way, shape or form, it is so unique and so surprising that it carries the day based simply on that and, with that, is something that strikes spectators wonderfully.

Shane

Available direct from your favorite dealer. Dealers, please contact Murphy's Magic Supplies, Inc. toll-free at 1-800-853-7403 or visit Murphy's Magic Supplies website.